Watch: Top Abbas aide praises stabbings at UN school graduation

A leading official in Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party recently celebrated stabbing attacks against Israelis, at the graduation ceremony for a UN sponsored school.

Abbas Zaki, a leading member of the Fatah Central Committee, made the speech at UNRWA Ramallah Women's Training Center and Educational Science Faculty's graduation ceremony, which was held at the Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters in Ramallah.

His speech – which was translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) – included glowing praise of fatal knife and rock attacks during the recent wave of Arab terrorism. Scores of Israelis – most of them civilians – and a number of US citizens were murdered in the attacks, which also included a number of shootings, and hundreds more were wounded.

"The determination, willpower, and willingness to die for a dignified life are present among the youth who carried a knife after the disappearance of the Arab leadership, including the Palestinian (leadership)," he told students.

"They performed a miracle by imposing a curfew within Israel with knives and rocks," he added, to rapturous applause.

Zaki also touted the PA's unilateral diplomatic moves against Israel, and claimed it had ceased all security cooperation with Israel. The latter claim does not however appear to be accurate, as the IDF and PA security forces have continued to cooperate against perceived mutual threat from Fatah's Islamist rivals.

"Anyone who talks about renewing relations with Israel is not a Palestinian and is not a member of Fatah!" Zaki declared.